Humanitarian Catastrophe Deepens in Myanmar as Millions Face Starvation Amid Escalating Conflict

The situation is particularly catastrophic in Rakhine State, home to the Rohingya minority, where two million people are on the brink of famine.

UN human rights experts have urgently highlighted an unprecedented food security crisis in Myanmar, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian catastrophe following the February 2021 military coup. Currently, over 19.9 million people, nearly 40% of the population, require humanitarian assistance, with 15.2 million facing acute food insecurity in 2025.

The junta, losing territory to various armed resistance groups, has intensified its retaliatory actions by blockading humanitarian aid, restricting trade routes, and targeting aid workers, significantly worsening the food crisis. Moreover, military assaults have destroyed agricultural infrastructure and contaminated vast areas of farmland with landmines and unexploded ordnance, severely disrupting local food production. The workforce shortage resulting from mass displacement and evasion of forced military conscription has further crippled agriculture.

Since 2021, armed conflicts have affected 96% of Myanmar’s townships, devastating agricultural productivity, reducing crop yields significantly, and decimating local economies. In 2025 alone, prices for essential food staples such as rice, beans, oil, and salt are expected to surge by 30% over the previous year, severely reducing household purchasing power.

The recent suspension of U.S. foreign aid, resulting from an executive order, threatens to further destabilize the humanitarian situation in Myanmar and neighboring countries accommodating refugees.

Internal displacement has surged drastically, with internally displaced persons (IDPs) reaching 3.5 million by early 2025, representing a 72% increase within a year. Overcrowded camps and informal settlements offer minimal access to essential resources such as food, clean water, and healthcare, creating severe vulnerabilities and fostering disease outbreaks.

The situation is particularly catastrophic in Rakhine State, home to the Rohingya minority, where two million people are on the brink of famine. Since 2023, the Myanmar military has almost entirely blocked humanitarian assistance, potentially constituting war crimes. Intensified fighting between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military further compounds food shortages, disrupts agriculture, and restricts essential livelihood activities. Reports indicate severe desperation among displaced persons, with individuals resorting to animal feed for sustenance.

Children are disproportionately affected, with over half now living in poverty. Diarrhoeal disease outbreaks due to insufficient medical supplies claimed dozens of young lives in 2024. Currently, more than 40% of children aged 6-23 months lack adequate nutrition essential for growth, and many households are forced into emergency coping strategies to survive.

Internet blackouts by the junta severely hinder accurate data collection, obscuring the full extent of child malnutrition and mortality rates.

The international community is urged to take immediate, decisive action to deliver lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations. Experts recommend cooperation with Myanmar’s National Unity Government, local humanitarian organizations, and armed resistance groups to circumvent junta-imposed restrictions. ASEAN is specifically called upon to facilitate cross-border aid deliveries and support refugee-hosting nations to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.